ACT Expanded Image Capture Powers for Traffic Offence Detection Devices

Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Amendment Bill 2025

12 Sep 2025: Passed by Parliament and signed off by the governor.

This bill kicks in: TBA

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Topics

mobile phone use privacy road safety seatbelt safety speeding surveillance traffic enforcement

Introduced by: The Hon Tara Cheyne MLA (ALP) — Attorney-General, Minister , Minister for City and Government Services, Minister for Human Rights, Minister for the Night-Time Economy

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

Traffic offence detection devices can now take images of one or more people; this includes passengers in a vehicle.
Images of drivers or passengers must only show as much of the person as is necessary to prove a road transport offence.
The government can now approve specific seatbelt detection systems.
Evidentiary certificates for seatbelt offences must state if a vehicle was moving or stationary but not parked when the image was taken.
Seatbelt detection systems are now exempt from certain stopping and parking rules.
The law now defines 'mobile device' to include tablets and smart watches; it excludes CB or two-way radios.
The law establishes new definitions for average speed detection systems; this includes how minimum travel time and shortest practicable routes are calculated.

The Debate

What different members said when this bill was debated:

Tara Cheyne ALP

“I move: That this bill be agreed to in principle. I am pleased to introduce this bill to the Assembly today.”

Official source →

James Milligan LIB

“We quite often hear the term “buckle up”. It is a phrase we hear when traveling on a plane, riding on rollercoasters or driving in cars. Seatbelts have not always been mandatory—though they are now—but, over time, their lifesaving benefits have become widely accepted and hard to refute.”

Official source →

Andrew Braddock GRN

“I rise in support of this bill. With transport accidents making up a tenth of all injury hospitalisations and deaths in Australia, ensuring the safety of people on our roads is paramount. Many of these deaths are preventable. Wearing a seatbelt properly can reduce the risk of a fatal injury by up to 50 per cent.”

Official source →